Chancing For Hope
by Silver lily 010
Summary: What if the good guy was not so good? What if the damsel in distress was just a heart breaker? What if the villain was more heroic and true than he seemed? Stories always have 2 points of view. This is what bowser saw as his life was changed for ever. who made him a monster... This story was a request by my friend joseph. Idea's mine though. I still owe it to him the credit though.


Chancing For Hope

Mario Fic

Joseph Young's Request.

"No… please… Don't do this…" I begged. "Please… please brother…" I looked up to see neither friendliness in his eyes nor a kindness in his stance.

"Your begging and pleading will not stop me brother. I have all the reason in the world to lock you away but I am only going to change how people see you. It is not as bad as you fear," he said smiling as he lifted me to face him.

"Don't… please I beg of you. Don't do this. She would hate me and hide from me!" I cried looking to where she lay unconscious not feet from me… My beautiful princess. Like a blossom in the summer her face still soft as the setting sun she lay there. How long had I loved this angel? I dare not remember. I looked to her trying to wake her from her unconscious nightmare.

"My darling Peach. My fruit of the sun please wake… Please I need you to see the evil he is trying to do to us!" I tried to crawl to her but my enemy was faster.

"No, no. Bad boy. You are not to lay a hand on royalty. Only I can see her because I live in her home with her. I work to serve her. And I am better fit to love her than you, a simple street wretch, as I am part of the royal bloodline and have rights to her. And since I can I shall do you a favor. I shall free you from your bonds of this life. I shall curse you to where you cannot be seen with love," he growled with a cruel smile.

"Now drink," he said as he forced a white liquid into my throat. I felt it rip through me like a burning fire. I tried stopping it but I choked and it continued on its painful path. Then the fire stilled in my chest spreading through my veins. I felt every bone in my body split and change. A white light and then nothing. I looked up to Mario as he glared downstairs me. His smile had grown in its joyful malice. I forced myself to look down at myself. A blood curdling scream filled the air making my ears ring. It took me a moment to realize it had come from my own lips. My body was now yellow and had grown a large spiked green shell from my spine. My blood was thicker and I could feel it racing in my veins.

"FIX. ME. Please!" I begged but stopped upon hearing my own voice. It was rough and gravelly. Syllables mixed together and blurred. I held my now swollen skull in my large yellow scaled hands. I felt tears scald down my cheeks. It was then that I felt it. My body may have swollen but it had swollen with muscle and size. I had grown a good 10 feet and now towered over the minuscule red dot that was Mario.

"Change. Me. Back... or I will squash you under my foot," I growled with a new anger. He would pay for this.

"Kill me and you will never get changed back!" he laughed. He was so small.

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet my Peach wouldn't just save me?" I laughed surprising myself. It was a deep malicious laugh, and I liked it. A lot. In this small space it was easy for me to catch the little red man despite him being a fast little sucker. I pulled him up to eye level but my anger darkened and I was getting more and more furious at his smirk.

"She won't if she doesn't know it's you," he chuckled before snapping. A blue and white blur shot over my eyes before I found myself in the middle of a mountainous terrain. How have I gotten here?! Where was Peach!?

"Peach? Peach! PEACH! Help me! Please!" I screamed as I charged rampantly into the trees. I searched and searched all that day and the next tirelessly until I found myself back in the middle of where I had appeared. I collapsed onto my knees and cried. I cried for hours filling the silence with my dying sobs. I fell to my side curling into myself. I was alone in some place I had never seen before. As sleep overcame me I felt my body shrink.

The next morning I woke on a soft couch. It took me a moment to orient. Then I remembered everything. I looked down at my body. I was human again. I jolted up and ran my hands over my skin with a joyful laugh bubbling inside me.

"Good to see you awake my dearie," rang a voice next to me. I startled and flipped around jerking the blankets up against me.

"Do not fear me. I am like you. Cursed by that rat Mario. I recognize your curse very well. I and my sister found you as you were changing back right before sleep overtook you. Poor thing," The little woman handed him a wash cloth and sat a tray of food in front of me. I could smell the bread was fresh and the strawberry jam on the pancakes was home jarred. It smelt absolutely amazing. But I made myself wait.

"Well if you know what's wrong with me then explain," I said covering myself in the blanket as much as I could.

"Do not fret. I do not wish to harm you or take advantage of your situation. My sister is sewing new clothes for you now. We help you because we too are cursed by him. We were very beautiful twins when we were younger and he had grown a want for us. When we denied him he changed us. Only those who can love our ugly old faces now can see the beautiful things we were then. Your curse is a little deeper. People have to be completely comfortable with you. They have to feel safe. I knew you were harmless but he made you turn into a monster when others who fear or hate you are around. Now will you eat? Your body is worn very thin from the first change. If you do not eat you can damage yourself," she said softly. She seemed motherly and kind. I took in what she told me. He had done this for Peach loving me... which means she is in danger of what happened to these two!

"I have to go! She is in danger. I have to save her! I have to warn her!" I said trying to stand up but found I could not move my legs. I just tumbled down onto the floor helplessly.

"Silly boy. Still so young and impulsive. The teleportation has drained your energy. The fact that you managed to run around for two days solid is a miracle in and of itself," she said as she placed me back in my spot in front of the tray. I looked at the food. It no longer looked as warm and comforting. It was just something keeping me alive when I wanted to die.

"I know that look. Don't you even dream of it young man," said another woman as she walked in the room. This one was wearing red instead of blue. The sister.

"Is he not eating? Eat boy. You need it," she said as she sat the clothing down in front of me. They looked new and nice.

"May I get dressed first?" I asked.

"Sure. The bathroom is right down the hall," Said the sister in blue. I looked down the hall to the restroom locating it. I was suddenly afraid of my blanket falling from my waist. I sat there awkwardly. The sister I met first gave me a knowing look before standing and pulling the other woman with her up the stairs. I made a dash for the restroom and quickly closed the door the second I was in the small room. I slid back against the door with a sad cry as I hit the floor. My legs were still not fully mine. I slowly pulled the clothes over my body struggling to get the pants on. It seemed that every time I would tug an item of the outfit on, I was tugging the truth into my body. When I was finished I just sat there. I couldn't help but feel the pins and needles in my legs as they regained their life. And by feeling that I knew this was all real. And Peach's' danger was real.

I had to get out of here now.

I had to save her.

I tried to stand and felt my legs wobble. I balanced myself against the door and crawled over to the window and propped it open. A warm draft blew in through the window and I breathed it in. The air looked like it was tinted red. Probably the exhaustion. But I had to go on. I pulled myself up and out and slid down onto the ground. I heard movement in the house almost as though it was warning me I had to run now or I would never escape. So I did. I took off like a mad man. Running with every ounce of life in me, right into something. I felt my face smack right into something that felt like concrete.

"Ow! Ow ow ow ow! What?!" I said glancing around for what I had hit.

"You were right! He ran head on, right into it! Didn't even see it!" called one sister from a window as she laughed. The other ran out with only care in her eyes.

"It is not funny Merideth! What if he had gotten hurt? How would you feel THEN HM?" said the one in blue as she reached me. My head was splitting and I could have sworn I saw blue little whisper floating around where I had hit something.

"What the hell did I just hit?!" I yelled as I held my head. It felt like a blade being shoved into my skull.

"We put up a protective field around the house. And you just found it," she said looking at my head. "It won't bruise. But we should ice your forehead," said Merideth the one in the red dress.

"Listen. Angeline. I know you want to trust this boy but he just took off running. He was trying to "escape" from a safe place. What kind of logic is that? What are you hiding boy?" she turned her burning eyes on me. I felt a rock lodge in my throat.

"I-" I tried.

"You were going to steal something weren't you? Fess up thief," Merideth accused.

"No! I sw-" I cried but Angeline silenced me.

"He was doing no such thing! Merideth you are always so negative! He was probably just scared of us! He didn't know us or why we had taken him in! Random overly kind strangers!" Angeline said engaging Merideth in a glare. I felt their eyes fighting like fire and ice. I deflated in between them. It was terrifying. I felt the air tighten in my lungs. My shoulders hunched over and I hid my head.

"Um. Hey. I was just trying to get out fast so I could go save Peach," I said barely bringing my voice over a whisper. Then I felt it.

Chptr 2

I fought it with everything I had but I felt the change beginning. My skin hardened and I felt my body thickening. My head hurt worse and my akin grew hot and tight against me. It felt like I was on fire. Merideth looked at me.

"Why fight it stupid boy. You aren't even close to strong enough. Even I can't stop mine," she said glaring at me. Angeline grabbed her shirt and put her staff under Merideth's jaw.

"Shut. Up. Merideth," Angeline growled. My hearing was getting more attuned. I stood and was suddenly well above them. There was someone in the woods. I could hear their breathing. Part of me sensed them breathing. I felt my breath heating up. This needed to end. If it was Mario he was dead. I would kill him. I focused he heat in my lungs and roared. A ball of flame shot out clearing the trees in the direction of the person. I expected to see him standing there smirking. But instead. A little brown creature was looking at me. Fear riddled in its eyes. It was so small.

"A goomba. They live here. We feed them. They are totally peaceful unless guarding something. Then they are ferocious. Poor things don't have any strength though. So we live alongside them," said Angeline as she walked up and patted he thing on the head. It made a soft popping sound. It was talking to her. I watched it shudder and hide behind her. Merideth was frozen. She looked like her eyes were dinner plates.

"He almost killed her. Almost fried her…" she said. She looked at me with a new fire in her eyes. Suddenly she was flying in front of me. She was waving her staff and it started to glow. I had maybe seconds to dodge as she shot a blue orb at me with a furious screech. I jumped over landing to the right of Angeline and the little goomba. I followed her as she dodged to my left trying to throw another ball but she hit a tree. Then I heard the previous ball it had bounced off of something and was flying towards her. Angeline was unaware, holding the tiny goomba. I didn't have time to think and just threw myself around them.

A pressure on my shell.

I opened my eyes checking to make sure they were okay. Angeline was clinging to the goomba who had squeezed it eyes shut and curled into Angeline. I stood up and a black cloud surged behind me in the breeze. Merideth was slack jawed and gawking openly at me.

"It didn't even scratch the surface…" she marveled. I looked at my shell and began laughing. I rolled around on the ground laughing and soon everyone was laughing with me. My whole body shook in a deep laughter. I found that my body was shrinking around me and my laughter grew higher in pitch and shriller. Suddenly I was human again and I looked around and blushed openly trying to hide myself.

Angeline threw her shawl on me and ushered me inside. The once tiny goomba now stood at my hip. He was kind of cute and kept making this little clicking sound. I patted it on the top of the head and smiled as it sort of grinned back at me. Its little teeth jutting out.

It looked like it wasn't too week but that it was stronger in numbers. I was lead back into the house to an upstairs bedroom where the goomba perched on the pillow and looked just adorable! Angeline helped me into clothes but Merideth stayed in the hallway. I shied over when I was dressed and peaked my head around the corner. All I got was an eye full of glaring moody witch eyes. I felt my body shake. If it weren't terrifying it would have made me laugh. I inched back around the door and slid down the wall. She hated me. It was official. Then a thought struck me.

"Why don't I transform right now?" I asked Angeline.

"Because her hatred of you isn't hatred. She is just like that. I am the only person she likes. And sometimes even that wavers a bit," she said chuckling lightly and finishing setting up the bed. The little goomba came up and jumped up into my lap curling up and beginning to make a purring rumble. I smiled and soon felt exhaustion curling around me. Sleep soon overcame us.

I woke to a cold wet feeling on my foot. I sat up and attempted to move the foot but I found that it had been taken by the little goomba. He literally had my leg trapped underneath him.

This must be how they fight their enemies. Squish them while they drown them in cute. I chuckled at the thought.

I then looked up to find myself in a bed. My little goomba friend made a weird mumble like sound before rolling over and off my foot. I sighed at the sight of the drool dripping off my left foot.

_Why do I always get the weird friends?_ I thought as I stood.

Then I saw someone in the rocking chair.

My feet seemed to immediately freeze to the floor. My eyes slowly slid over the form of the lithe young lady sitting there. She was wearing a blue gown and it seemed to be satin. Her skin was a fair olive and her hair a pale gold. I found myself staring at what seemed to be an angel of god. I was frozen to the spot and had lost all mental function.

Could this be? Angeline in her true body? No. Way. Not possible. She was just a friend and I fully believed that. At least I thought I did... Some part of me didn't want to believe it was her.

But the other half of me, the brighter more hopeful side, glowed at the thought of her being so pure.

"Ahem. Done gawking yet?" came a dark voice next to me. I turned with a start to only be speared with a glare from hell. I could have sworn Satan's wife stood in front of me from the flames that seemed to be her eyes. There stood a slightly taller girl. Her skin was a dark gold with freckles on her nose. Her eyes were that of wood on fire with glowing shots of yellow bursting out.

I shied away at how every time I met her eyes it felt like she was burning holes into my thoughts.

"You can see us can't you? Yeah, Mario's little curse was that nasty. But hey, according to Angeline you got it off worse than us," she said as she walked away. She had a lithe figure and walked with a purpose. Like wherever she was going it was to protect this place. In that moment I knew why Mario just cursed them to be ugly instead of anything else, because if he had hurt Angeline, and Merideth found out, death would have been a kindness to him. In fact sitting here now I felt that if I didn't do as she asked that would be my kindness. As she walked I gawked. She looked so strong and intimidating and beautiful and full of something that was so very much more. Even her stride spoke of power.

"Come, I shall show you something. Plus you still need to eat," she said as she walked for the stairs.

Dumbly I followed her with the brain dead zombie effect fully overcoming me. Soon I found myself in the white small kitchen. Everything was wood painted white and the tiling was white with bale baby blue swirls. It seemed so… homey.

There were even little red flowers on the window seal. I noticed they had no petals except for the big one. I then nearly lost my calm when the big thing stood up and walked off. I seized up and fought the urge to scream.

"They are in the same boat as the rest of us. Cursed by that… monstrosity of a human being Mario. They were an entire race that he didn't think was "pure enough" so he turned them into carnivorous flowers," she said, as she tossed a cube of the chicken she was slicing up, which was immediately devowered.

"They are also blind and use sound and vibrations in the ground to track prey. So if we stay completely still the things stop moving. It is because of what he did to these poor things that we shall help you, because we are not self-centered to the point of only caring about a loved one. We shall save the whole of the people that would be doomed under his power," she said as she placed the now seasoned and evenly cubed meat into a frying pan. Her very words seemed to dig into me and carve out my heart.

She was right.

I was so self-centered to forget that all these people and creatures were cursed too. And they had literally sat them in my lap. I found solace only in how she stood. There was a power in her stance that made me feel sure that nothing could stop her from winning the battle with Mario, which made me feel a little less hopeless.

He could curse the daylights out of her and she would still find a way to end him. I shied back at the sheer power she was giving off. It felt like waves of strength were shooting out from wherever her core was.

Then a pure true calm settled over the room and a glossed angel walked in and sniffed the air.

"Smells like we are having Italian chicken, yes? Little more garlic darling," said Angeline as she strode over and peppered the meat with a white powder. I sat enthralled in the amount of beauty that flooded the room. The very glassed over blue that was her eyes riveted me to them and made me stand stock still. They seemed to have frozen me to my spot. Even the light that drifted in from the window seemed to bounce off of Merideth and dance onto Angeline only to be absorbed by her soft glow.

It was like Merideth was the fiery sun and Angeline was the cool moon. They shared the same celestial beauty but showed it in their own stunning ways.

Merideth looked at me and in her gaze was fire. But when I looked to Angeline I found my self cooled and calm, almost frozen. I shivered under Angeline's gaze and shriveled under Merideth's.

"Woah," is all I could manage to mumble out.

"Stop your gawking boy," said Merideth.

"Oh Mer be nice to the boy. At least he didn't pull a rat move. Thank you dearie," responded Angeline. And in that moment I realized a bit of an irony in their names.

"Wait. Angeline… Merideth…. Your names… they match your-" I tried to spit it out but my mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

"Yes, you see where we come from we change our names so that no one knows our birth names. If they did they could control us and hurt us. We are forbidden to ever speak our true names let alone tell someone. But somehow that Mario, the worm that he is, found out Mer-"

"SHUT. UP. ANGELINE," Merideth yelled as she charged out of the room. I was thrown into the wall as a burst of red shot out of her and as I glanced around with blurred eyes I found that Merideth was short and yellow again. And Angeline was shrinking back into the same form.

And I was powerless to heal her. I couldn't save anyone. Not Peach. Not Angeline, nor Merideth. I was so weak… Only the monster that was forced on to me could save anyone. I was so weak and hopeless. I couldn't save anyone. Let alone any of these people who have been nothing but kind to me. Albeit Merideth's attitude, she was still kind hearted down to the core of her.

I felt a pain jerk inside of me. My back was splitting with pain. I must have caught my spine with the handle on the cupboard. I slide to the floor incapable of moving. I looked around me through the heavy haze. Concussion. I could feel it. I scanned the room to catch a glimpse of something only to see the tiny goomba hiding behind a chair that had been knocked down. He looked so terrified. I wanted to protect him but I found that the thought of me helping anyone circling around in my mind. I soon felt the claws of sleep pulling at my mind. I fought it and fought it. I watched helplessly as Merideth stormed out and Angeline shrank. I witnessed the cruelest thing I would ever see in that moment

An angel shed a single tear from her left eye.

I felt more than heard the boom. Another blast, this time of blue, and I was unconscious on the floor.

Chptr 3

When I came to I was back in the bedroom with the tiny goomba guarding the door. He seemed for a second to believe something was there before settling back down. From behind the little guy looked like an overgrown mushroom. But when I sighed and it turned around the gaping mouth with pointy teeth appeared. It would be terrifying if it weren't smiling and obviously adorable. I reached around and felt from the top of my head down to my lower spine. 2 points. A large bump around the lower part of my skull and swelling just off to the left of my spine. When I touch either it sends shooting pain.

_Sensitivity and swelling. Awesome._ I thought as I sighed and laid back down. I felt something jump up on the bed. A weird bark like sound led the way for a brown little goomba to plop down on my arm efficiently pinning it.

_Fat little bugger._ I laughed as he started nodding off. The little guy must be exhausted. I wondered how long he had been guarding my door like that. It was cute but worried me. Did he think that I would protect him? I seriously hoped he didn't think that, because I would be doomed to let him down.

I laid my head the other direction so he wouldn't see the stray tears winding down my cheek. I held them back as best as I could but they kept coming. Then a small high pitched yip came next to me. I turned to see the little goomba had raised its body up and was worrying his little feet on the blankets. I kept wondering what he was thinking. He nosed up into my chest.

"Oh, you know don't you? Do you feel that way too?" I asked. I found myself surprised to see the little guy nod. I gently reached around to hug him. He was like a fat pillow that breathed. I felt the tears coming back. He gently purred and nibbled at my shirt. I found myself crying and wishing I could go home.

"Bwee!" the little goomba said as he suddenly jumped up and was growling at the entrance to the door.

"Surprise. Looks like Guardian Goomba did his job pretty well." Merideth said as she came around the corner. I jumped to clean my eyes and hide my blush. No guy wants to get caught crying all powerlessly like that by a girl, let alone one that can be as beautiful as Merideth.

"Don't worry. We all shed some here and there. I won't tell," she said as she grinned. I couldn't explain why but I highly doubted this woman could cry. I shied away and continued with my guarded solid look.

"Yeah, but I don't. Listen lady. I respect you and all but if you are going to keep showing up like this, creeping on me, I am going to have to do something about it," I said trying to lead her off the topic of tears.

"Oh totally. Do whatever makes you happy. I am just going to continue showing up. Because unlike my dearest sister I don't _trust_ you," she said as she openly gave me a death glare that sent shivers up my spine.

"Well then we are equal on that level," I said as I tried to return the glare. All that it seemed to do was make her evil grin even wider. I kept thinking that maybe if I were to tell her I had seen her true beauty she might hate me a little less. But then I realized that would be admitting to trusting her. Which I shouldn't but I did.

"I don't know if I should gasp in surprise or run and hide. Because either way you and I agreeing on anything is going to be rare, and very far apart," she said with a sneer. With her talking about us agreeing a memory of one of our earlier conversations came to mind.

"Well with that understood I have a question. You said you would help me. How could you possibly help as we are stuck here?" I asked. If she said she had some sort of a portal in their basement I was going to quit and call it a day. The last time he was involved in portals it got him stranded here on some random planet. With weird people and creatures, who are so different yet the same as me.

"Every creature on this dooming planet wants him either locked up, dead, or to at least get their normal lives back. And we have enough power to become the ultimate army. That and we have a portal in the basement," she said. That was it. I quit. I am going home. I need to take five minutes to breathe and clear the not surprise out of my brain.

"Are you serious?! You have been stuck here for how long and you never left?!" I cried out throwing my hands in the air like I really didn't care. I mean come on. At this point wouldn't you scream? I know I did.

"Slow down kid. Where on this ungodly planet do you think we get all our food and cloth and all this," she said making a huge sarcastic gesture to the whole house. At this point I wanted to slap myself in the face. And I did. I face-palmed and felt the urge to just pull out my eye balls.

"I am so done with this," I said as I stormed out of the room to flop down onto the couch. I kept my arm over my eyes as a huge sigh burst out of my lungs carrying a deep exhausted moan. And I had just woken up too. This was seriously getting ridiculous.

"Hahahahaha, oh my dear Heavens, you honestly thought we could have totally roughed it out here!?" Meredith gagged out through gasping laughter. She was leaning up against the door giggling her butt off, if she even had one. I found myself laughing a little too. Of course it was a manly laugh. Ah, who am I kidding? It was a full on high pitched dying-of-laughter laugh! And I totally enjoyed it! As the laughter faded away Merideth sat down on the floor with a sigh. She looked exhausted.

"Hey, you all right?" I asked generally. I didn't want to seem like I had suddenly begun to like her or anything. The last thing I needed was to seem more weak than I already was.

"I guess. I mean, I have been trying to get people to join up and take on Mario but we are all too scared to try. No one is willing to get further punished. Then you came along and suddenly everyone is ready. Even the ones who wouldn't respond earlier are on your side," she said with a exasperated sigh. She looked so exhausted.

"Isn't that a good thing?" I asked as I slid down onto the floor next to her.

"It would be if it weren't for the fact that you were a complete stranger," she said with a hiss. I cringed again. She still didn't trust me. God why does that hurt so much?

"Oh…" is all I could say. Then she surprised me. Her head fell down onto my shoulder and I heard a small sob escape her. She was crying. On _my_ shoulder. I was at a loss for words. But it seems that is what she needed, a calm friend to disappear into who had arms to hold her. I let my hand fall on her shoulder. She didn't cringe or start to move away, so I figured it was okay. She looked so weak. I wanted in that moment to protect her. I put my other arm around her and felt her curl into me and her sobs deepen into her chest. She slowly rose up and started rubbing her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be crying. I am being foolish. Anyways, we need to begin training for a first attack to get your lover back and stun him. We need to paralyze his assets and his aids. Which means those little mushroom people you love? They have to be stopped. At all costs," she said. And that's when it hit me. They would follow him. I was literally declaring war on a people, the very people that had raised and loved me when my parents passed away. He would turn them against me… I felt that like a slap to the face. Suddenly my anger burned and I stood.

"I can't believe they would help him. I mean come on. They are a brilliant people, yet he has somehow fooled them?" I said in dry anger. Was this another one of his curses he has placed on another species? Another story like those plants. How could he have this kind of power!? I sighed again. There is no way this is ever going to work. Not with them on his side.

"Well don't go giving up hope yet. Remember I have had years to plan an attack on him. And his latest move gave me just the last piece I needed. A leader that the others will actually follow," she said making a general gesture to me. I arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"Oh really?" I asked sarchastically.

"What? Don't believe me? All right, Sargent Sarchastic, I will show you my plan. But you have to promise not to say something stupid or I will smack you. Got it?" she said as she pulled a set of keys out of her dress pocket. In that moment I turned and saw her little yellow form and found myself remembering her beautiful amazing side. She was in this to bring that back for all these people. And there I stood, thinking only of myself and Peach. I was such a looser compared to these two sisters. They were so… so… capable! It seemed to be the only word I could taunt to the surface of my mind. I was sooo at a loss for words when these sisters stood in the idea. Honestly, I have never felt so honestly over powered. YOU would even flip if you met them. They scared me more than Mario had. And I was freaking panicking when he showed his power. His power was Demonic in nature. Theirs is simply calm sheer will. They could do anything. And I was afraid to anger either of them. In that moment I thanked God I have them on my side instead of my enemies. I would be doomed if they weren't.

"Promise," I said as I followed her to a small door outside the house. I found myself at war. To believe in what I had already seen and know how experienced these ladies were, or go with my guts and think that Mario would notice if they had anything worth while. So I chose to stay silent. I was beginning to understand to not guess or estimate with these two. I followed her down a long staircase. _Jeeze, how far down does this go?_ I thought.

"Almost there," Merideth said as though reading my mind. Could she do that? I had no idea the limits of her abilities. And that scared me.

Then there was a door.

It was little, and blue. It was just the height for the little yellow Merideth, but for me it was extremely small and I had to practically crawl to get through it.

But when I made it through I felt my heart in my throat. There before me was a wall. Covered in images and red strings and pins and stars and things, even the walls corners were used up. I felt my jaw hit the floor as soon as I realized everyone in the entire kingdom was being tracked. Including myself.

"What, Is, This?!" I asked as I turned to gawk at the little yellow person behind me. She smiled and simply nodded twice.

"Did I not tell you I had a plan?" she said as she placed another pin right on top of where their house was.

"Why pin your own house?" I asked.

"Because the plan was set in motion the second you came out of that portal,"

CHPTR 4

"And that is how I ended up here, dragged by a war that I started so that I could find and rescue you!" I growled out. How could she be turning me down?!

"I'm sorry but… I am in love with Mario… Not you… I just… Let ME Go!" Peach screamed as tears rolled down her cheeks. I reached out but she threw my hand away.


End file.
